look, though! He seemed to be astonished."

Culprit-like, the lad followed close at his uncle's heels till the side
entrance was reached, where, with what seemed to be another sign of his
angry perturbation, the old officer stopped short, rested one hand upon
the door-post to steady himself, and began to very carefully do what was
not the slightest degree necessary, to wit: he scraped his shoes most
carefully over and over again--for there was not even a scrap of dust to
remove.

"Stand back a moment, sir," cried the captain, suddenly. "Jane has
heard us, and is carrying in the dinner. Don't let her see you in that
state."

Aleck shrank to one side, and then as a door was heard to close, started
forward again in obedience to his uncle's order.

"Now in, quick--into the study."

He led the way sharply, and Aleck sprang after him, but the ascent of so
many steps gave the maid time to re-open the little dining-room door,
from which point of vantage she was able to catch a glimpse of the lad's
face, which looked so startling that she uttered an involuntary "Oh,
my!" before letting her jaw drop and pausing, her mouth wide open and a
pair of staring eyes.

"Come in!" roared the captain, angrily, as Aleck paused to turn for a
moment at the door; and instead of entering, stood shaking his head
deprecatingly at the maid, while his lips moved without a sound escaping
them as he tried to telegraph to one who took much interest in his
appearance: "Not hurt much. I couldn't help it!"

He started violently then at his uncle's stern command, uttered like an
order to a company of men to step into some deadly breach, and the next
moment the door was closed and the old man was scowling at him from the
chair into which he had thrown himself, sending it back with the legs,
giving forth a sound like a harsh snort as they scraped over the bare
oaken floor.

Aleck drew a long deep breath and tried to tighten up his nerves, ready
for what he felt was going to be a desperate encounter with the
fierce-looking old man whom from long experience he knew to be harsh,
stern, and troubled with a terrible temper, which made him morose and
strange at times, his fits lasting for days, during which periods he
would hardly speak a word to his nephew, leaving him to himself save
when he came upon him suddenly to see that he was not wasting time, but
going on with one or other of the studies which the old man supervised,
or working in the gard